Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Headstrong cowgirl Peta Dixon has put her life on hold this Christmas to
prove she can run her ranch as well as any man. There isn't anything
she can't ride, fix, or stare down, and the only things to scare her are
long hemlines and sky-high heels.

Self-made rancher Garrett Ross
normally doesn't take orders - he gives them. When asked to step in and
act as a temporary foreman on a Montana ranch over the holidays, he
can't refuse.

But when Garrett meets the beautiful and stubborn
ranch owner, he realizes he's signed on for a whole lot of trouble.
Cynical and jaded, he has no time for feelings. And when Peta meets the
man she's to share her life with until Christmas, she discovers she no
longer wants to be the person others expect her to be...

Will the rancher finally listen to his heart and admit he can't live without a certain straight-talking cowgirl?

Peta Dixon's life goal was to run Bluebell Falls Ranch on
her own and prove to her father that she could run it as well as any man.While she was on a European vacation with her
sister, her ranch foreman, Hal, got injured and ended up in the hospital.Hal called the one man he knew that could
handle taking over his job until he was back on his feet again, Garrett Ross.

Garrett knew the ins and outs of running a ranch even though
he now made his money buying and selling ranches.But when Hal needed his help, Garrett didn't
hesitate to rush to his aid.

Peta didn't have time for a relationship, but from the first
moment she laid eyes on Garrett, all sorts of thoughts went through her
mind.Garrett's first impression of Peta
was that she reminded him of every other materialistic woman from his
past.But her looks were very
deceiving.Once Garrett got to know
Peta, he realized she was a down to earth country girl with all good intentions.she valued her ranch, the livestock and
everyone who worked for her.Together,
Garrett and Peta learn to open up and trust each other and accept whatever the
future holds for them.

I could tell the author did a lot of research on this book
with all of the ranch scenes, especially the cattle drive.She did a great job integrating it with Peta
and Garrett’s romance.I also enjoyed reading
about Ivy and Rhett’s wedding

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

From Viola Shipman, the beloved author of The Charm Bracelet, Christmas Angels
is a delightful love story. Kate, a single woman in her 30s, works as a
designer/decorator for a large interior landscaping company bedecking
and bedazzling St. Louis for the holidays. Her work keeps her from
spending the holidays with her family and masks the loneliness and pain
after a nasty breakup just before Christmas.

Known as "The
Christmas Angel" for providing holiday beauty to the city's offices,
homes, and malls, Kate's world changes when she decorates the home of a
widowed single dad. Both soon realize that life (and love) must go on
somehow and that perhaps Christmas (and guardian) angels are all around,
if we only choose to see them.

Rich with the spirit of Christmas and all its traditions, Christmas Angels is a love story that will remind readers of the meaning and magic of Christmas.

My Review:

Angels are all around us, whether it’s a topper on a
Christmas tree, a song on the radio, or an angel shaped cloud.You just have to believe and you will find
them.

Kate Roseberry was known as the queen of holiday perfection
because of her successful decorating company.She could make anyplace sparkle for Christmas.But Kate was sad this Christmas.She had broken up with her boyfriend and
wasn't in the holiday spirit.She just
went through the motions because it was expected of her.She didn't even believe in angels
anymore.But it seemed angels were
popping up everywhere she looked.

Single dad Chad Cooper lost his fiancé last year right
before Christmas.Everyone who knew him
was worried about him, so his company hired Kate to go decorate Chad's house as
a surprise for him and his son.They
hope it will cheer them up and out them in the holiday spirit.But the one thing that really surprised Chad
was the angel pin that Kate was wearing.It turns out it had special meaning to him.

This is a sweet inspirational novella.It's hard to believe that so much detail
could be written into such a short story and leave a lasting impression.I just wish it had been bit longer as I was really
getting into the story.I would have
loved to have known what the future held for Kate and Chad.The story gave me a lot to think about and
was a great reminder that there really are angels all around us.Maybe this was the reminder that I needed
too.

Monday, October 24, 2016

Event planner Eve Canaday and her secret crush, Dr. Ben Tyler, are
unexpectedly drafted to help a little girl fulfill her late mother’s
wish—a magical Christmas to create some happy memories. Eve sees this
opportunity as a sign; Ben, as a glitch in his plan to leave Marietta
behind for good.

As the trio checks off the to-do list of
Christmas fun, Ben’s ‘bah-humbug’ opinion of the holiday fades, along
with ideas about keeping his distance from Eve. Getting involved is the
last thing he wants to do but, alas, there’s no accounting for cosmic
interference.

With the season of miracles upon this jewel of a
town, will Eve find it’s possible that Christmas wishes aren’t only for
little girls?

The Canadays of Montana
Book 1: A Cowboy to Remember
Book 2: Choose Me, Cowboy
Book 3: The Cowgirl's Christmas Wish

My Review:

Two best friends team up to make a little girl's first
Christmas without her mother special and discover they can make each other's
Christmas special too.

Eve Canaday has had a crush on Ben Tyler for quite some
time.But she is afraid she will
jeopardize their friendship if she were to tell him exactly how she felt.

Ben's plans didn't involve falling in love.His career as an orthopedic surgeon has
always been his main focus.But lately
he wants to do something more meaningful than just working at the
hospital.He signed up for a medical
mission in the jungles of Central America.But Ben's plan is put on hold when a good friend has an accident putting
Christmas lights on his house.Ben and
Eve step up to take care of Malcolm's little girl Lily while he is recovering
in the hospital.

As Eve and Ben work together to make Lily's Christmas the
best ever, they discover themselves falling in love.But will it be enough to make Ben put his
plans on hold and stay in Marietta with Eve?

This was a well thought out book with a lot great
scenes.I just wish the ending had been
a little bit longer.I felt it wrapped
up too fast.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Colliding with a prince while dog walking isn’t how Rowan Palotay
pictured meeting royalty, but then lately her life hasn’t gone according
to plan. With one teensy tiny mistake, her job as a news reporter took a
turn for the worse and now she’s lucky to have a small pet column in
the local newspaper. Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and
magic, but she feels like she’s forever stuck on the naughty list.

Prince
Theodore Chenery is in Marietta shortly after the death of his mother
to meet his grandparents for the first time. When an accidental
run-in—literally—with Rowan leads to an unexpected friendship, he finds
himself enchanted with the outspoken, feisty country girl. She’s unlike
anyone he’s ever met and her special brand of kindness and honesty make
it harder and harder to remember his obligations back home.

Rowan
can’t afford one more mistake, and Theo’s future is already mapped out,
but when they find it impossible to fight the passion and deep-rooted
emotions between them, they discover what matters most. Until their
relationship makes worldwide news… and Theo must decide whether to
follow his heart, or his royal duty.

My Review:

The prince and the country girl.They were destined to be together.

Rowan Palotay was barely able to make ends meet.After her professional reputation was ruined,
her newspaper assignment was changed to writing the Pet Corner in The Copper
Mountain Courier.To supplement her
income, she took on the job of a dog walker.One morning while out with the dogs, she comes face to face with Prince
Theodore Chenery who was in town to meet his grandparents for the first
time.It was not the introduction that
Rowan wished to have when one of the dogs wrapped its leash around both of their
legs and almost tripped them.To top it
off, one decides to pee on the Prince's leg.How is that for a first impression?

After his mother's death, Theo decided to spend Christmas in
Marietta with his grandparents and see the town where his mother grew up.He had always been told stories about the
place and he wanted to see it through his own eyes.When it came time to return to Montanique, his
father was to announce his engagement.It was an arranged marriage, but Theo was willing to do it for his
father and his country.That was until
he got to know Rowan. Now he is second guessing his plans.

Rowan and Theo knew there was a line that shouldn't be
crossed when it came to their attraction to each other.But it might be a little easier said than
done, once they really get to know each other.They are prefect for each other in every way.

This was a fun book to read. While Rowan and Theo were
getting to know each other there are some funny and very memorable
moments.One of my favorite moments (beside
the dog pee scene) was when they were at Rowan's house singing and dancing to
the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack.It showed the playful side of both characters.Both were very caring and willing to do
anything for other people too.The story
was well written and kept my interest all the way through.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Manhattan upper-cruster Cecily
Sinclair now uses that pricey utensil to dish up fancy French fare on
her cooking show, Serving Romance. When there’s an executive shake-up at
the network, she’s not worried. Not much anyway. Her show’s a hit after
all. Why would the new CEO want to mess with success?

The
driving force behind several buzzed-about networks, Devlin Hayes is
considered to be a wunderkind in the television industry. Although his
plans to rebrand CuisineTV and make Serving Romance more
Millennial-friendly don’t thrill Cecily, her charming, blue-eyed boss is
a hard man to say “no” to and she really wants to keep her job—even if
that means sharing screen time with a loathsome blast from her past.

Mercurial
Italian chef Dante Marchetti a.k.a. “Il Duce” was once Cecily’s boss,
and she has the PTSD to prove it. Now the owner of one of the hottest
restaurants in town, Dante’s egomania knows no bounds and his constant
attempts to provoke and upstage Cecily make her want to conk him on the
head with a sauté pan. She thinks they’re toxic together, but viewers
love their chemistry and clamor for more.

As Cecily battles to
maintain the integrity of her show, she finds herself scheming and
manipulating right along with Dante and Devlin. Is she fighting a lost
cause? Does she really belong on TV, or would her culinary talent be
better served elsewhere? And could one of the men who makes Cecily’s
blood boil ignite a passion in her for something other than food?

To enter this giveaway, simply e-mail the author at traciebanister@gmail.com with your proof of purchase. Entries will be
accepted until midnight on October 26th, 2016 when a winner will be
selected via random drawing. This is an international giveaway, so
anyone who buys Mixing It Up within the allotted time frame is eligible
to win. Good luck!

AUTHOR BIO:

An avid reader and writer, Tracie Banister has been scribbling
stories since she was a child, most of them featuring feisty heroines
with complicated love lives like her favorite fictional protagonist
Scarlett O'Hara. Her work was first seen on the stage of her elementary
school, where her 4th grade class performed an original holiday play she
penned. (Like all good divas-in-the-making, she also starred in and
tried to direct the production.)

Tracie’s dreams of authorial
success were put on the backburner when she reached adulthood and
discovered that she needed a "real" job in order to pay her bills. Her
career as personal assistant to a local entrepreneur lasted for 12
years. When it ended, she decided to follow her bliss and dedicate
herself to writing full-time. Mixing It Up is her fourth Chick Lit
release, and in it Tracie finally got to live out her fantasy of being a
Cordon Bleu-trained chef.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

A
European getaway during the Christmas holiday is exactly what
veterinarian Katrina “Kat” Parsons needs. She can’t wait to be a
bridesmaid in her childhood friend’s royal wedding, but she hopes to
steer clear of the bride’s arrogant older brother.

Crown Prince
Guillaume wants his younger sister’s wedding day to be perfect, but he’s
suspicious of Kat. He and his mother on are on high alert, afraid Kat
is not just there for the wedding, but also to find a prince of her own.

But
when Kat’s kindness and generosity prove them wrong, the prince
realizes there’s more to her than he ever imagined. Can he trust his
heart or will he lose the one woman he can’t live without?

The Ever After seriesBook 1: The Honeymoon Prize Book 2: The Cinderella PrincessBook 3: Christmas at the Castle

My Review:

Once upon a time there was a beautiful veterinarian who
would travel to a faraway land to be in her best friend's wedding.While there, she will kiss a frog (aka Prince
Annoying) and make him into her very own Prince Charming.A royal wedding.

A
meddlesome mother.And an unexpected
union.

Katrina "Kat" and Princess Sophie have been best
friends since they met as children and met at camp.So when Sophie asks Kat to be in her wedding,
she doesn't think twice even if it means traveling at Christmas time half way
around the globe to Alistonia to be there.

Crown Prince Guillaume "Gill" did not expect Kat
to be there for Sophie's wedding.Sophie
kept Kat's participation in the wedding a secret as she knew Gill would manage
to intercept with her plans if he knew.Gill and his mother, the queen, are suspicious of Kat and keep a close
eye on her.The queen thinks Kat is out
to snag a royal.And Gill is her target.But as Gill gets to know who Kat really is,
he starts to soften a bit around her.Will it be enough for Gill realize Kat really is a good person and
possibly the right woman for him?

Christmas is a time of magic and miracles and what you least
expect can happen in the blink of an eye.

From the beginning of the book you get the feel for Kat and
how hard working she is when she is awakened by a co-worker after falling
asleep in the barn.She doesn't take
time off for much of anything, especially dating.She is down to earth and a good girl who will
do anything for animals and her friends.I enjoyed the glitz and glamour, along with the drama, of the wedding
planning and seeing Kat and Gill become friends and eventually have their first
life changing kiss.I had a laugh when
Jamie, Sophie's future brother-in-law, was making passes at Kat and Gill would
start to get jealous.The scene at the
museum and the way Kat handled them both was priceless.The puppy part of the story was a sweet
addition too.I really enjoyed the
festive feel of this book.I'm putting
it down as my favorite Christmas book so far this year.It's a story that I could easily visualize
while reading it.It would make a
perfect Hallmark TV movie one day too if the Hallmark people ever got word of
it.

When your relationship is on life support, the Breakup Doctor is on call.

There’s no shortage of broken hearts in Breakup Doctor Brook Ogden’s
successful breakup counseling practice—if love is a battlefield, then
Brook is the cavalry. Luckily her own love life is in full recovery:
after a long, tortuous road, she and Ben Garrett are finally headed down
the aisle.

But when a local TV personality—and former frenemy—invites Brook onto
her show, she’s blindsided live on the air when the interview turns into
an act of long-delayed revenge meant to publicly humiliate her. Brook’s
an expert at getting back on your feet when life knocks you down, but
as the blows keep piling on—with a betrayal she never saw coming and a
family crisis that threatens to pull the foundation out from under
her—her confidence starts slinking away. With her clients dropping her
faster than a one-night stand, suddenly the Breakup Doctor’s career is
in critical care.

Brimming with both the sublime and ridiculous aspects of love—romantic
and otherwise—Out of Practice is a funny and heartwarming tale about
loss, grief, and failure that will resonate with all who have loved,
lost…and dared to love again.

Phoebe Fox is the author of the Breakup
Doctor series, and has been a contributor and regular columnist for a
number of national, regional, and local publications (she currently
writes about relationships for the Huffington Post, Elite Daily, and She
Knows). She
has been a movie, theater, and book reviewer; a screenwriter; and has
even been known to help with homework revisions for nieces and nephews. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and two excellent dogs.

Phoebe Fox, author of the Breakup Doctorseries

(The Breakup Doctor, Bedside Manners, Heart Conditions, and look for Out of Practice coming October 2016)

Oliver the cat is a timid little thing, who rarely ventures from his home in the Foresters’ Arms.

Then
his life changes dramatically when a fire breaks out in the pub kitchen
and he is left homeless and afraid. But, with the kindness of the
humans around him, he soon learns to trust again. And, in his own
special way, he helps to heal those around him.

However, it isn’t
until he meets a little girl in desperate need of a friend that he
realizes this village needs a Christmas miracle...

Touching and genuine, this is the tale of a little cat with a big heart. Fans of A Street Cat Named Bob and Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World will be delighted.

My Review:

An enjoyable tale for any age.

From the first page, I knew I was going to love this
book.It is heartwarming and
entertaining.The story starts with
Oliver telling a new kitten about the night he was separated from his human
George when the pub burned down and how he ended up being shared between two
families.Oliver comes to be known as a
cat with magical qualities with the things he does for the people in his little
town.

Oliver’s main goal is to make sure everyone has a good
Christmas.While doing so, he helps a
lot of people in different ways from bringing families together, helping a
little girl recover from the loss of losing her cat and another little girl who
has leukemia and no friends to play with.He also helps the adults in his life by helping them build better lives
for themselves, and in one case, even find love.You will also meet Oliver’s cat friends and
learn all about them as well.

As you are reading this, you are probably thinking this is a
child’s book, but I assure you people of all ages who love cats (or any
animals) will enjoy this book.It is
well written and the story kept me turning the pages and not wanting it to
end.Even though it is a Christmas book,
it’s a wonderful inspiring story for any time of the year.

Book Mama Blog has a giveaway for a copy of this book. Be sure to stop by for your chance.Book Mama Blog

Monday, October 17, 2016

Welcome to Wychwood-on-Lea… a not-too-quaint village where frosty
evenings, welcoming fires, and second chances will make this a Christmas
you’ll never forget.

Anna Vere has escaped to the Cotswolds
for Christmas to try to heal from her broken engagement and, far worse,
her broken dreams. When her reserved room at a bed & breakfast is
flooded, she takes up the offer of camping out in Willoughby Close, the
converted stables of the nearby manor house… and is taken under the wing
of sexy local carpenter Colin Heath.

What starts out as merely
helping a neighbor in need turns into far more as Colin and Anna share a
surprisingly intense and emotional connection, weaving their own
Christmas magic as they spend the holiday together. But Anna has a
secret she’s scared to reveal, something that could destroy the fragile
bond they’ve just created, and Colin knows she’s only in England for a
short time. Can these two sudden soul mates risk their hearts for a love
that has yet to be tried and tested?

Get swept away by this
poignant and heartwarming story, set in beautiful Wychwood-on-Lea, in
the English Cotswolds. And look forward to four more books set in
Willoughby Close, where everyday miracles and happily-ever-afters are
guaranteed.

My Review:

Anna Vere needed to be alone this Christmas so she left New
York and headed to England where booked a room at a B&B in the
Cotswolds.When Anna arrives at the
B&B, she is informed there has been a flood and she wouldn't be able to
stay.Being so close to Christmas, there
were no vacancies anywhere close by either.But the innkeeper has another idea.Anna could stay with her cousin, Colin Heath, in one of the cottages he
was renovating.The next thing Anna knew,
she was being kicked out of there too.So Colin offered Anna the guest room in his house.Anna's Christmas getaway was not going as
planned.

Colin was known by his sisters as someone who always took on
projects to but never finished them.His
friends accused him of being the dreaded serial monogamist.He doesn't don't do flings.But with Anna staying with him, something in
Colin changed.He wanted Anna and he
knew she wanted him too.But Anna was
only there for a short while and she was still getting over her last
relationship.Will the magic of
Christmas cast a spell on Anna and Colin and give them the gift they both
desperately deserve?

From the beautiful cover, to the story, I was glad I read
this book.At first it was hard to
believe in a relationship that started out so fast when both characters had
emotional scars.But the author did a
good job bringing Anna and Colin together.So also fit a lot of details into this short book.It is a sweet and inspiring story.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Close Encounters of the Furred Kind is the follow-up to the Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller The Good, The Bad, and the Furry. Like The Good, The Bad, and the Furry, it tells the story of Tom Cox's life with his charismatic cats--The Bear, Shipley, Ralph, and recent recruit Roscoe.

Close Encounters of the Furred Kind
begins with a long, emotional goodbye to Norfolk, and continues with
another amazing new lease on life for The Bear, the Benjamin Button of
the cat world, among the bluebells and verdant hedgerows of Devon.
Readers who became attached to The Bear's magical, owlish persona during
his previous adventures will become more so here as he proves, once
again, that he's a cat with endless secrets and significantly more than
nine lives.

Friday, October 14, 2016

My name is Andrew Joyce and I write books for a living. I would like
to thank Janine for allowing me to be here today to promote my latest, Yellow Hair, which documents the injustices done to the Sioux Nation
from their first treaty with the United States in 1805 through Wounded
Knee in 1890. Every death, murder, battle, and outrage I write about
actually took place. The historical figures that play a role in my
fact-based tale of fiction were real people and I use their real names.
Yellow Hair is an epic tale of adventure, family, love, and hate that
spans most of the 19th century.

Now that the commercial
is out of the way, we can get down to what I really came here to talk
about: the Sioux people. The people we know as the Sioux were originally
known as the Dakota, which means ally. The name Sioux came from the
Chippewa and the French. The Chippewa called them Nadonessiou, which
means adder, or enemy, and then the French shortened the name to Sioux.

Every
culture has an origin myth. We in the West have Adam and Eve. The
Ancient Greeks had Gaia. According to the Norse people, Odin and Ymir
founded the earth. If you will allow me, I’d like to tell you the
creation story of the Dakota.

In the beginning, before
the creation of the earth, the gods resided in the sky and humans lived
in darkness. Chief among the gods was Ta՜kuwakaŋ, the Sun, who was
married to Haŋyetuwi, the Moon. He had one daughter, Wohpe. And there
was Old Man and Old Woman, whose daughter, Ite, was wife to Wind, to
whom she gave four sons, the Four Winds.

Of the other
spirits, the most important was Iŋktomi, the devious trickster. Iŋktomi
conspired with Old Man and Old Woman to increase their daughter's status
by arranging an affair between the Sun and Ite. His wife’s discovery of
the affair led Ta՜kuwakaŋ to give the Moon her own domain, and by
separating her from himself, created time.

Old Man, Old
Woman and Ite—who was separated from Wind, her husband—were banished to
Earth. Ite, along with her children, the Four Winds, and a fifth
wind—the child of Ite but not of Wind—established space. The daughter of
the Sun and the Moon, Wohpe, also fell to earth and later resided with
the South Wind. The two adopted the fifth wind, who was called
Wamŋiomŋi.

Alone on the newly formed Earth, some of the
gods became bored. Ite prevailed upon Iŋktomi to find her people, the
Buffalo Nation. In the form of a wolf, Iŋktomi went beneath the earth
and discovered a village of humans. Iŋktomi told them about the wonders
of the Earth and convinced one man, Tokahe, to accompany him through a
cave to the surface. Tokahe did so and, upon reaching the surface, saw
the green grass and blue sky for the first time. Iŋktomi and Ite
introduced Tokahe to buffalo meat and showed him tipis, clothing,
hunting clubs, and bows and arrows. Tokahe returned to the underworld
village and appealed to six other men and their families to go with him
to the Earth's surface.

When they arrived, they
discovered that Iŋktomi had deceived Tokahe. The buffalo were scarce;
the weather had turned bad, and they found themselves starving. Unable
to return to their home, but armed with a new knowledge about the world,
they survived to become the founders of the Seven Council Fires.

The
Seven Council Fires . . . or Oćeti Šakowiŋ . . . are the Mdewakanton,
the Wahpeton, the Wahpekute, the Sisseton, the Yankton, the Yanktonai,
and the Lakota.

After Tokahe led the six families to the
surface of the earth, they wandered for many winters. Sons were born and
sons died. Winters passed, more winters than could be counted. That was
before Oćeti Šakowiŋ. But not until White Buffalo Calf Woman did the
humans become Dakota.

Two scouts were hunting the buffalo
when they came to the top of a small hill. A long way off, they
observed the figure of a woman. As she approached, they saw that she was
beautiful. She was young and carried a wakiŋ. One of the scouts had
lustful thoughts and told the other. His friend told him that she was
sacred and to banish such thoughts.

The woman came up to
them and said to the one with the lustful thoughts, “If you would do
what you are thinking, come forward.” The scout moved and stood before
her and a white cloud covered them from sight.

When the
woman stepped from the cloud, it blew away. There on the ground, at the
beautiful woman’s feet, lay a pile of bones with worms crawling in and
among them.

The woman told the other scout to go to his
village and tell his people that she was coming, for them to build a
medicine tipi large enough to hold all the chiefs of the nation. She
said, “I bring a great gift to your people.”

When the
people heard the scout’s story, they constructed the lodge, and put on
their finest clothing, then stood about the lodge and waited.

As the woman entered the village, she sang:"With visible breath I am walking. A voice I am sending as I walk. In a sacred manner I am walking. With visible tracks I am walking. In a sacred manner I walk."
She
handed the wakiŋ to the head chief and he withdrew a pipe from the
bundle. On one side of the pipe was carved a bison calf. “The bison
represents the earth, which will house and feed you,” she said.

Thirteen
eagle feathers hung from the wooden stem. White Buffalo Calf Woman told
the chiefs, “The feathers represent the sky and the thirteen moons.
With this pipe, you shall prosper. With this pipe, you shall speak with
Wakaŋ Taŋ՜ka (God). With this pipe, you shall become The People. With
this pipe, you shall be bound with the Earth for She is your mother. She
is sacred. With this pipe, you shall be bound to your relatives.”

Having
given the pipe to the People, and having said what she had to say, she
turned and walked four paces from the lodge and sat down.

When
she arose, she was a red-and-brown buffalo calf. She walked on, lay
down and came up as a black buffalo calf. Walking still farther, she
turned into a white buffalo and stood upon a hill. She turned to bow in
the four directions of the four winds and then she vanished.

Because
of White Buffalo Calf Woman, the Dakota honor our mother the Earth;
they honor their parents and their grandparents. They honor the birds of
the sky; they honor the beasts of the earth. They know that Wakaŋ
Taŋ՜ka resides in all animals, in all trees and plants and rocks and
stones. Wakaŋ Taŋ՜ka is in all. They know that Wakaŋ Taŋ՜ka lives in
each of us.

Because of White Buffalo Calf Woman, they have become Dakota.

About Andrew Joyce:
Andrew Joyce left high school at seventeen to hitchhike throughout
the US, Canada, and Mexico. He wouldn’t return from his journey until
decades later when he decided to become a writer. Joyce has written five
books, including a two-volume collection of one hundred and fifty short
stories comprised of his hitching adventures called BEDTIME STORIES FOR
GROWN-UPS (as yet unpublished), and his latest novel, YELLOW HAIR. He
now lives aboard a boat in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with his dog,
Danny, where he is busy working on his next book, tentatively entitled,
MICK REILLY.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

After a tough year losing her mom and bills mounting, Holly Yates is in
for a lonely Christmas. But when she hears a news report that the small
principality of Coronia is looking for their lost princess, she
recognizes her baby photo on the news and is astounded. Felix – the
could-be Prince – is delighted to find her and whips her off to a
snow-covered Coronia to meet her real-life ailing father where he
persuades her to fall in love with the people and the place.

Holly
is so shell shocked by everything that she agrees - as long as they
keep her identity secret until she makes up her mind. But can a shy girl
from Baltimore really become a fairy tale princess?

My Review:

Prince Albert of Coronia is dying.His last wish was to find his long lost
daughter so she can take the throne after he passes.

Broke and in debt after taking care of her sick parents,
Holly Yates’ life is about to change drastically.When she hears of the search for a missing
princess and the clues all point to her, she must find out the truth.Holly leaves Baltimore and heads for the
small European country of Coronia with Felix De Luca, the man who would become
prince if the princess is not found.Felix is thrilled to have found the princess.He is looking forward to Holly becoming the
princess so he can return to New York where he can live a normal life out of
the royal spotlight.

Holly discovers her love for Coronia and its people, while she
tries to figure out her next step.Should be become princess or should she return to America and her old
life?While Holly is making her decision,
she has to deal with the evil reporter, Cassie Carmen, who is jealous of Holly
and has her own plans to get ahead in life.She doesn’t care who she tramples on her way to the top.Holly and Felix also start to have feelings
towards each other which will make Holly's decision on more difficult.

This magical story was a lot of fun to read.It was easy to visualize from the
descriptions and dialogue.I could
relate Holly's thoughts and emotions as I also found out about my biological
father and met him when I was 25 too.I
would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for good heartfelt holiday
story.

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Accidentally abandoned and stranded by a raging blizzard in the
picturesque town of Tucker, Maine, Crown Princess Jasmine Arcules finds
herself alone and unguarded for the first time in her life.

Meanwhile,
widower Sam Cutler is dreading the Christmas season. Struggling to be a
good father to his nine-year-old twin daughters, he's wracked with
guilt and battling painful memories. The last thing he needs is a
beautiful stranger invading his world.

Jasmine keeps her royal
identity secret, so Sam treats her the way no man in her native country
ever would – a country where speaking to Jasmine out of turn could
result in jail time. But Jasmine has a knack for getting past Sam's
defenses, comforting his daughters, arousing his suppressed emotions,
and forcing him to remember he's a man...

Both Sam and Jasmine need each other, but can they trust in Christmas magic to bring their hearts together?

My Review:

Sam Cutler has only loved one woman in life and he still
grieves for her.Princess Jasmine
Arcelus has never even been kissed.

While her flight crew assumed Jasmine was asleep, they left
the airport before the blizzard hit Tucker, Maine.But Jasmine wasn't sleeping on the
plane.She had gone for a walk in the
woods by herself. When she returned to the airport, she was surprised to find
out her plane left without her.

Sam hasn't been interested in anything since he lost his
wife in a car accident two years ago.He
doesn’t care about Christmas or work.He
hasn't spent time with his friends and he hasn't even moved back home yet.He is still living at his mother-in-law's
house with his twin daughters.

When Belle meets Jasmine at the airport and finds out she
has been left behind, she brings her home to stay until her plane can come back
for her.Sam starts becoming attracted
to Jasmine.He hasn’t felt this way
about a woman in a very long time.Jasmine discovers feelings towards Sam that she has never experienced
before.But she knows nothing came
happen.She has certain standards she is
expected to live up to and falling in love with just anyone isn't in the plans.Will Jasmine and Sam give into the feelings
they have for each other, or will Jasmine be forced to forget about Sam when the
time comes for her to return to Vollan?

This is a heartwarming and a very clean romance novella that
can be read in one sitting.Sam’s
rediscovering love and Jasmine finding love for the first time was fun to read
about.Sam’s little girls stole the
scenes in some parts and made it more realistic.I just wish the story would have been a bit
longer as it seemed to wrap up too fast for me.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Who is the handsome cowboy who comes into small town Marietta’s
chocolate shop every week to buy a box of chocolates? More
importantly…who is he buying the chocolates for? These are the questions
sales clerk Rosie Linn asks herself as she waits for her sadly
neglected childhood home to sell so she can pursue an exciting new
career in L.A.

Rosie finds out the answers the day rugged ranch
hand Brant Willingham introduces himself and asks for her help in
managing the care of his younger sister. Brant’s mother has recently
died, leaving him the sole guardian of eighteen-year-old Sara Maria–who
has been a puzzle to Brant ever since she began exhibiting signs of
autism at age two.Rosie and Brant come up with a plan. She’ll help
with his sister if he handles repairs and a new paint job for her old
house. It seems the perfect solution, but a new dilemma is created when
the couple start spending time together. Brant discovers he doesn’t want
Rosie to sell and leave, and Rosie fears she will have to choose
between love and her dreams.

My Review:

A sweet love story.

For the last few months, Rosie Linn has looked forward to
the handsome Friday night cowboy coming into Copper Mountain Chocolate Shop
where she works. He always buys the same
box of chocolates and never tries anything else.Whoever he is buying them for must really
love dark chocolate salted caramels.But
Rosie has bigger things she should be focusing on besides trying to figure out
the cowboy and who he is shopping for.She is trying to sell her childhood home so she can begin her dream of
being a screenwriter and moving to Los Angeles.

After his mother’s death, Brant Willingham has been keeping
his regular Friday night visit with his sister Sara Maria who lives at May Bell
Care Home.He brings her a box of
chocolate and they go out for pizza and a movie.But the staff at May Bell Care Home think
Sara Maria really needs to be spending time with people her own age as she has
grown bored living there.So, Brant
comes up with a plan.He approaches the
pretty girl at the chocolate shop and asks if she would be willing to spend
time with his sister.In exchange he
will help her get her house ready to sell.

As Rosie and Sara Maria become friends, Brant also finds
himself drawn to Rosie.He really doesn’t
have time for dating between working and driving into Marietta to see his
sister.But fate has a way of working
things out and Brant and Rosie soon find themselves falling in love.How will this effect Rosie’s plans of
moving?

This was an enjoyable story and a good beginning to the new
Love at the Chocolate Shop series.The
chemistry between the two main characters was very strong and I enjoyed
learning their story.I also enjoyed
catching up with characters from past books and look forward to hearing more
about them in the future.

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Anita Hughes's Christmas in Paris is a
moving and heartwarming story about love, trust, and self-discovery.
Set during the most magical week of the year, the glorious foods and
fashions of the most romantic city in the world are sure to take your
breath away.

Isabel Lawson is standing on the balcony of her suite
at the Hotel de Crillon as she gazes at the twinkling lights of the
Champs-Élysées and wonders if she’s made a terrible mistake. She was
supposed to be visiting the Christmas tree in the Place de la Concorde,
and eating escargots and macaroons with her new husband on their
honeymoon. But a week before the wedding, she called it off. Isabel is
an ambitious Philadelphia finance woman, and Neil suddenly decided to
take over his grandparents' farm. Isabel wasn't ready to trade her
briefcase for a pair of rubber boots and a saddle.

When Neil
suggested she use their honeymoon tickets for herself, she thought it
would give her a chance to clear her head. That is until she locks
herself out on the balcony in the middle of winter. Thankfully her
neighbor Alec, a French children’s illustrator, comes to her rescue. He
too is nursing a broken heart at the Crillon for the holidays. With a
new friend by her side, Isabel is determined to use her time in the
"city of lights" wisely. After a chance encounter with a fortune teller,
and a close call with a taxi, she starts to question everything she
thought was important.

My Review:

A magical tale that will remind you why love is the greatest
feeling of all time.

Isabel called off her wedding to Neil just four days before
it was to happen.They couldn’t seem to
agree on anything.She finally realized
they aren’t as compatible as she thought.Since the honeymoon to Paris was already paid for, she decided to go
alone.

While admiring the bright lights of Champs-Elysees from her
hotel balcony, Isabel gets locked out of her room.She didn’t have her phone with her to call
for help so she did the only thing she could think of.She took off her Ferragamo heels and tossed
them towards the door of the room next to her to get the occupant’s attention
to help her.Isabel had no idea the
occupant would become a cherished friend during her stay in Paris.

Alec was supposed to be getting married too, but his fiancé had
just run off to Australia with a cricket player.He was content staying in his room working on
the illustrations for his children’s books until he met Isabel who got him out to
have some fun.Little did either of them
know this was just the beginning of a romance that neither of them saw
coming.

When Isabel finds a fortune teller on the street, she is
told several things that will happen to her.She starts to believe the fortune teller after two predictions come
true, she will receive a special inexpensive gift and come close to being
killed.So Isabel sets out to make the
other part of the fortune come true.She
was told she would meet and marry a French aristocrat.This sets Isabel off on a hunt for her new husband.But is this new love the right man for
Isabel?

The dialogue and descriptions in this book really brought it
to life.From the sights and sounds to
the fashions and food, not a single detail was missed.The story was visually stimulating.As always when I read a book by Anita Hughes,
I am drawn into from the start and don’t want it to end.